More projects in work

Continuing on from my previous post... Here's more of what I've been working on...

Here's the bowtie quilt top. I noticed after I took the picture that my paper "1" was still pinned to the top... I typically put a little paper number pinned to the first block of each row when laying out the top and sewing it. At this point, it doesn't matter which corner is first to anyone...except me. I've taken it off after these pictures...

 Here's a closer shot of the top. All of these blocks are scraps that I cut into 2.5 inch squares. I have TONS of squares now so expect to see more quilts with that size blocks...

 I'm working on the back which of course is taking twice as long to get together - sheesh!!

Now, here's a project thats been in work for a long, long time... I took tons of scraps and pieced them into 8 inch squares. I had bought a bolt of muslin that I just didn't like the quality. I've been using it as foundation and that's what I pieced the blocks on. I hated the blocks and was not going to piece them into a quilt. Then I decided that I could cut them into shapes and I decided I'm make a heart. So here's those pieced blocks, cut into a heart shape (using a freezer paper template and pinking shears) on black and white 10 inch blocks.

 Cute, huh? Here's a closer shot of the inside blocks.

 The blocks are stitched with white thread just sewn on the insite. Not sure yet what I'm going to do - if that's it or something else. Plus I'm trying to figure out if I need more or a border and what that would be. A friend gave me a bunch of black and white prints which may become a border of some sort. I love this quilt so far...I think it'll be a table topper size for February...

I have so many scraps and after the bow ties and the hearts, I had a ton of long lengths of black and blue. I started on the next blocks...I have 12 of them so far and think I'll stop this combination at 16...and no, I haven't decided what is coming next yet...

 I also had a ton of 2.5 squares of Chargers fabric. I'm thinking of recovering a smaller pillow for football season. Here's the start of the charger blocks for the pillow case...

Think I have enough stuff in work?  It has been really fun using my stash!!!

Updates to lots of projects

We had a *fun* 24 hours. We're in San Diego CA - north county and our power along with 6 million other people - was out from 3:30 until 11:00pm yesterday. We lost a box of refrigerated food - but nothing from the freezer. We only spent an additional 5-10 minutes on the commute home. Overall, we had a pleasant experience if you could call it pleasant...

Now onto the quilts...

This order will be weird... it's the way they came off the directory I had loaded...and I'm being lazy today and not changing the order. First up, this is a hexagon table topper made from the leftover 60 degree blocks I had. Cute, huh?

Next are a bunch of runners I made with border fabric. An earlier post has the pattern and the beginning of the purple runner. I saw the fall fabric runner at a quilt shop in northern MN and loved it as did my cousin. I made a few and two of them will be going back to MN. I made two purple runners and one of them goes back to my sister that originally bought the fabric for a quilt. You can also see the little hexie topper in this picture... See the lanterns on the side? They are candle lanterns and we lit them last night and ate dinner outside and then sat outside in the dark with them lit - the cast beautiful light!

 

Next is the finished "white" quilt. It reminds me of the big plastic beads we had as kids that you could make into necklages, bracelets, etc. The quilting is beautiful.

 

Here's a close up of the quilting. Yep, those are feather wreaths in the big white squares. The LAQ did them without asking and they are just what the quilt needed. I actually washed this one (don't normally) as I poked too many holes in my finders binding it and had blood spots on the binding and back. Now it's nice and clean and pretty!

 

Here's the back...using up my scrap stash for backings - love it by why does it take so long to piece???

 

Here's a close up of the back - love the quilting here too!

 

 Here's the beginning of blocks for a red/white/blue bowtie quilt. I kept the pairs connected and here's the process for ironing them which I thought was very cool... So here, two blocks are still connected with sewing and I've offset them for ironing. (color is a little off on these as it was at night...)

 Ironing while closed to set the seam.

 Flipping open the blocks in one direction and leaving the other direction...

 Half of the blocks pressed...

 Now pressing the other half of the blocks open...

 All pressed open. You see how they are going to be sewed together and I don't have to take time and match up the pairs.

 See? All ready to take back to sew together. The tricky part was figuring out when to cut the center seam connecting them. I did it two different ways and didn't like either.

I forgot to take pictures of the blocks after this point, but believe me, they were much easier to sew together. I also forgot to take pictures of the top, so I'll get that done and do another post...